The Butter Did It: A Gastronomic Tale of Love and Murder

Laurence Levain was a culinary superstar: the high-profile owner and chef of Chez Laurence, an internationally renowned restaurant in Washington, D.C. When Levain collapses in his clogs the night before a star-studded black-tie benefit dinner, all bets are on his soaring cholesterol level. But one person has her doubts: Chas Wheatley, the Washington Examiner's saber-penned restaurant critic.

Murder on the Gravy Train

Researching her new column, Chas Wheatley discovers something is rotten with Washington's most popular new restaurant. The head chef has gone missing, and no one is willing to give her a straight answer as to his whereabouts. Bodies begin to surface around the nation's capital, confounding the police. But Chas's clever eye for detail, her love of good gossip, and her connections in the newspaper and culinary worlds lead her into the underbelly of the business.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham?

Slick, slimy, and completely without conscience, Ringo Laurenge has the right stuff to be a great reporter - and the most hated man at the Washington Examiner. Even food editor Chas Wheatley wants to strangle him for trying to steal her story on America's priciest restaurants. Other staffers have reasons to want to kill him too. Not surprisingly, someone does.